Lynn Pettis (8/22/2012)

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Evil Kraig F (8/22/2012)

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Lynn Pettis (8/22/2012)

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I'm going to go against the flow a bit here. I think it really depends on what the application is intended to do. Where I work now I think the application I am helping to support would actually benefit from an EAV or hybrid EAV design.

Also, Microsoft themselves is using the EAV design in their Engineering Excellence Group to support compliance across product lines. Interviewed with the group 2 years ago bit didn't have the experience they needed.

I would say that a well reasoned approach to EAV for particular datasets with an understanding of the underlying complexity and complications it can cause by a seasoned professional could and has been useful. Say, once in every few hundred databases.

I would also say that anyone looking to implement it for 'ease of development' and not 'optimization of attribute access' is approaching the process from the wrong side. I don't disagree with you Lynn, just that the wrong approach to allow for optimal usage is being taken here. It completely depends on the data and intended use, not the intended development environment.

And here is where we agree.